ASTROLOGICAL ANALYSIS: SELECTED TOPICS IN CHART INTERPRETATION ©2005 By Donna Cunningham, MSW An ebook from Moon Maven Publications http://www.moonmavenpublications.com Moon Maven Publications PO Box 25331 Portland, OR 97298-0331 ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Donna Cunningham, an internationally respected astrologer with over 35 years experience, is the author of 17 books on metaphysical topics Listed in several Who’s Who volumes, she has given seminars on astrology around the world and won the prestigious Regulus Award at the 1998 UAC She also has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Columbia University She uses this combined approach in her “Dear Abby” type column in Dell Horoscope and her ongoing series of articles in The Mountain Astrologer Donna still does personal consultations by phone to stay in touch with the everunfolding patterns of the Cosmos For information on her astrological or web design services, visit her web site at: http://www.DonnaCunninghamMSW.com E-BOOK SERIES BY MOON MAVEN PUBLICATIONS: An Astrological Guide to Self-Awareness, Revised 2005 Edition 1/2005 The Outer Planets and Inner Life, Volume 1: The Career Path of The Exceptional Soul Published 4/2004 The Outer Planets and Inner Life, Volume 2: Exceptional Soul Seeks Same—Outer Planet Aspects to Venus and Mars Expected 2005 The Outer Planets and Inner Life, Volume 3: Exceptional Souls and Their Peers—Outer Planets in Aspect to One Another Expected 2005 Hotline to Heaven An astrological/metaphysical mystery novel 8/2004 Angel in Peril An astrological/metaphysical mystery novel 8/2004 Flower Remedies—How Plants’ Energies Can Heal Us 8/2004 Hard Copy Books By Donna Cunningham: How To Read Your Astrological Chart: Aspects Of The Cosmic Puzzle; Red Wheel/Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1999 The Moon in Your Life; Red Wheel/Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1996 Moon Signs: The Key to Your Inner Life; Ballantine Books, 1988 The Consulting Astrologer's Guidebook; Red Wheel/Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1994 Astrology and Vibrational Healing; Cassandra Press, 1988 Astrology and Spiritual Development; Cassandra Press, 1989 The Flower Remedies Handbook; Sterling Publishing, 1992 Spiritual Dimensions of Healing Addictions, With Andrew Ramer Cassandra, 1988 Further Dimensions of Healing Addictions, With Andrew Ramer Cassandra, 1988 This book is dedicated, with admiration and affection to the editorial staffs of The Mountain Astrologer and Dell Horoscope Magazine, where most of the pieces in this book originally appeared I have benefited so very much from their editorial skills over the years and would not be the writer I am today without having had them behind me Beyond that, their encouragement and enthusiasm for my work sustains me through the often-lonely work of writing You are my unsung heroes, folks! (Any mistakes in this final version, however, are my own.) In particular, let me mention my most recent editors, Nan Geary, Janette Deprosse, Tem Tarriktar, and Kate Scholly from TMA and Ronnie Grishman, Jack Pettey and Ed Kajkowski from Dell Thanks to you all! Acknowledgements: Most of the readings in this book originally appeared in my series for the intermediate student in The Mountain Astrologer, and some are from Dell Horoscope Sources for individual articles will be given in the appropriate chapters I wish to acknowledge the generosity of the publishers of those magazines in allowing me to reprint the articles and thereby to preserve them The images in this book are the copyrighted property of Clipart.com, an online source for high quality, royalty-free graphics at http://www.clipart.com These graphics are used with permission under license The images in this book may not be copied or downloaded without permission from Clipart.com ASTROLOGICAL ANALYSIS: SELECTED TOPICS IN CHART INTERPRETATION ©2005 by Donna Cunningham, MSW TABLE OF CONTENTS: This ebook mainly consists of articles that appeared in various journals and magazines over the years, collected here for the first time so that they can be preserved In my ongoing series for intermediate students, “Essential Elements of Chart Interpretation,” The Mountain Astrologer has provided a rewarding venue for me to examine smaller points of astrological interpretation in depth Each essay stands alone and is related to those around it only by virtue of the fact that they all arise out of my personal perspective on the horoscope and my years of astrological practice (Note: An easy way of navigating this book is to click on the bookmark tab on the left, then click on the bookmark for the section you want to read You can also find the page numbers at the bottom of the toolbar and use the slide on the right to move to a page) Trusting Your First Impressions of the Horoscope…………………………………7 The Four Elements and Your Essential Makeup…………………………………12 The Singleton: The Only, Lonely Planet………………………………………… 18 Planets and Houses (Quick and Dirty Rectification)…………………………… 21 Finding Strength in Numbers: Stelliums by House……………………………….28 Analyzing the Elemental Balance and Aspect Pattern………………………… 33 What Planet are You From? (Planetary Types) ………………………………….43 Finding Your Planetary Type: A Scale for Measuring the Strength of the Planets in a Chart…………………………………………………………… 47 Conjunctions Versus Oppositions………………………………………………… 60 How Oppositions to the Ascendant Modify Our Approach to Others……………64 Now, That’s a Stretch! Perspectives on the Quincunx……………………………68 Sextiles—Can the Two Signs Bring Out the Worst in Each Other?…………… 74 Spotting Themes in a Birth Chart—The Rule of Three……………………………78 Mercury Retrograde Debunked………………………………………………………81 Night and Day: Transits from the 12th House into the 1st …………………………85 A Promise Fulfilled: When Transits Echo Natal Aspects…………………………90 Never Rains but It Pours: Multiple Transits…………………………………………94 Saturn and The Mature Life Cycles………………………………………………….99 The Retirement Axis—Chart Clues to Retirement……………………………… 103 Your Birth Order and Your Chart Where Do You Fit In Your Family?…………113 Would Relocation Change your life? Astrology’s Answers………………………119 Dear Reader, Welcome to the world of e-books An e-book can be richly illustrated—as this one is—with color graphics and photos that would be too costly in hard copy An e-book is never irrevocably finished and need not be time-sensitive When additional material is available, you need not buy an entire new copy of the book, but can just download the new chapters Unlike most hard copy books today, an e-book will not go out of print in a few years when the publisher finds the bottom line more important than the education of astrology students This medium holds exciting possibilities, and I’ve capitalized on many of them here To use the special features, take a bit of time to familiarize yourself with the features of Adobe Acrobat Reader (If you are only seeing a half page of text with a menu on the right, click on Hide for a full-page view.) Clicking on the bookmark tab at the side shows links that take you directly to any section of the book that interests you If you click on the binoculars on the tool bar at the top of this document, it will instantly search the book for all instances of any word you specify The book contains active links to the web sites given for reference, if your Internet connection is open in the background (Put the cursor on any email or Internet address with a blue underline, and it launches the browser or email form.) Using the “Select Text” function on the toolbar, you can pull out brief excerpts for clients or friends whose situations match the contents However, I hope you will use this book in virtual form rather than printing it out entirely We all love having books in our hands, and yet change is inevitable—even necessary At the rate trees are being harvested, in five to ten years, there will be no paper for our children’s textbooks or wood for homes An e-book is one way you and I can contribute to saving the forests that are a vital part of our environment They are crucial to our air quality, endangered animal and plant species, and rainfall levels The before and after photos of an oldgrowth forest below may illuminate what my words cannot1 Donna Cunningham These photos are reprinted with permission of the David Suzuki Foundation, dedicated to preserving Pacific Northwest forests For information, visit: http://www.davidsuzuki.org A List of Charts Used in this Book Note: The data for celebrity charts used here are based on information from AstroDataBank, the invaluable software based on a collection of over 26,000 birth records and biographies, the lifework of the late Lois Rodden and of Mark McDonough This superb software tool has many valuable features for the astrology student, professional, or researcher, including being searchable for examples of people with any given chart feature For more information, visit their site at http://www.astrodatabank.com and sign up for their free newsletter on birth data of current notables (For easy access to these charts, click on the bookmark tab at the side) Page: Celebrity: 13 24 29, 52 35 40-43 52 56 56 69 95 Four sample charts—no degrees or planets shown Whoopi Goldberg Hillary Clinton Matt Damon Scott Hamilton Sample charts from overview, revisited Winona Ryder George W Bush Sylvester Stallone Andy Kaufman Bruce Willis A List of Tables Used in This Book: Page: Table: 22 31 61 96 Matters associated with the twelve houses Notables with stelliums in each of the houses Celebrities with Oppositions Vs Conjunctions Transit tracking table – 1990-2010 Trusting Your First Impressions of the Horoscope © 2003 Donna Cunningham – all rights reserved1 Each chart contains such a wealth of information that pulling all the pieces together can seem overwhelming You may have taken classes and attended conferences and seminars, and your library may be full of texts with diverse perspectives The resulting information overload makes it tough to know where to start when faced with an eager friend, family member, or co-worker who is dying to know what it all means Before rushing to analyze the details, take a deep breath, empty your mind, and let your eyes roam over the chart, noticing what stands out These first impressions provide solid clues to what is important Pretend that you know nothing about those strange symbols and pie-shaped wedges — it might even be interesting to hand the chart to its "owner" and listen to that person's response Does the way the glyphs are distributed say anything — the patterns that are formed, how spaces are filled? Is there a large concentration in one or two areas, leaving huge empty spaces elsewhere in the chart? Perhaps that is also true of the person’s life: This could be someone who devotes most waking hours to one or two pursuits but has little time for facets of life that others consider crucial This concentration can result in great progress and achievement in the focus area, but some might see it as reflecting an unbalanced lifestyle Conversely, planets are sometimes distributed in a variety of sectors, suggesting that the individual may disperse energy and effort into too many areas of life Whether there is integration and balance between these interests or whether they create tension is something you will learn from the aspects, but for now, note the potential for scattering There are several horoscope patterns; for instance, one half of the chart may be occupied and the other half blank, which suggests a lopsided concentration of activities and also a vacuum that the person needs others to fill Marc Edmund Jones wrote about these patterns fifty years ago, but most students find his language obscure Besides, it's time to begin interpreting for yourself rather than relying heavily on texts and teachers Add one more piece of information by considering the houses that are emphasized They are bound to represent the most crucial dynamics in the individual’s life: the challenges, risks, achievements, and joys Think about the signs naturally associated with those houses — the 10th house and Capricorn, for instance, or the 4th and Cancer The person will have some of the dynamics of that sign, even if it is not represented strongly in the natal horoscope A person with a This was published as “Trusting Your First Impressions of the Horoscope,” The Mountain Astrologer, 6-7/03, p 9, and is reprinted with their permission 10th house concentration will be as focused on career and long-term goals as someone with the Sun or Moon in Capricorn, though the nature of those goals and the approach to vocation will be colored by the planets in the 10th and their signs In an article for a later lesson, we will look more closely at houses that have stelliums— that is, concentrations of three or more planets in a given house For the time being, just note those houses and know that they will represent major dynamics in the person’s life Let’s work on training your eye to see the whole chart The planets and degrees have been removed from the four examples on the next page in order to make the chart patterns stand out \Clear your mind, and let your eyes focus on one chart at a time Some specific questions to ask and an example of this kind of analysis will follow, but for now, let your visual impression be the key Four Charts to Analyze: Ask yourself the following questions about each of these charts (A sample interpretation will follow.) Do you have any first, intuitive impressions about the individual from looking at the energy pattern of the planets? Are the planets distributed evenly about the chart or concentrated in certain areas? What does that suggest? Do any of the houses contain stelliums? What would that suggest about major focuses of energy and effort for the person? What life challenges might be faced? What houses are empty, and what might that reflect about the person’s life? Though you don’t know what aspects the chart holds as yet, any house concentrations appear to be in conflict with one another? (For instance, are there concentrations in the opposing houses?) What pulls might the person experience as a result? Which of the career houses (10th, 2nd, and 6th), if any, are emphasized, and what might that say about the individual? Alternatively, if all three are void, what does that say? Which of the relationship houses (5th, 7th, 8th, and 11th), if any, are emphasized, and what might that infer about the individual? Sigmund Freud said that the two signs of mental health are the ability to love and work What balance between work and love is suggested by this chart’s distribution of planets? To give you an example of the kinds of information that can be gathered from examining a chart this way, let’s look at Chart #4, that of a much-loved male celebrity In the chart, overall, there are three clusters of planets—possibly several conjunctions—and there are many unoccupied houses This would suggest that the person has a strong capacity to focus on a few areas of life, areas that would be strong motivators and possible sources of either conflict or achievement The demands of other areas of life—most likely those represented by the empty houses of the horoscope—may be virtually ignored or only given as much attention as is needed for basic maintenance The 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 12th houses are empty The most noticeable concentration of energy is in the 11th house, with a stellium of four planets there plus a fifth planet that appears to be sitting on the cusp between the 10th and 11th We don’t know yet if those planets signify struggles or blessings, what signs they are in, or whether the aspects they form are hard or soft ones What we can infer, however, is that perhaps the most important area of life for this individual is friendship and/or group activities Almost half the planetary forces are concentrated in this one area Thus the need to belong to a strong, solid group is a powerful motivation and takes up much of this person’s time and energy Friends are expected to fulfill many needs—the 4th house is empty, as is the 7th, and so friends may take on the role of family and fill the need for close, committed relationships like marriage Given the powerful focus on this area of life, losing a friend would be a powerful blow Another concentration is the two planets in the 1st house, possibly conjunct, although one of them straddles the cusp of the second Depending on what planets they are and what signs they are in, this would suggest that this is someone you could never ignore He would command your attention, and given this thrust of 1st house energy, getting attention is part of what drives him The 1st house is one of the health houses as well, representing the physical vehicle, and so maintaining that vehicle in healthy, fit condition may also have been a focus of the person’s energy There are two planets, possibly in conjunction, in the 5th house, and so another source of satisfaction—or conflict—may be the 5th house areas of children, romance, fun, and creativity Note that two opposite houses, the 11th and the 5th contain a total of six planets Even in the unlikely event that there are no actual oppositions, there is a back and forth pull between the demands of the two houses This may suggest some conflict between the needs of children or romantic partners and the needs of friends or the group and a need to balance the two Alternately, it may indicate that at times the boundaries between friendship and romance become blurred We can draw preliminary conclusions from this kind of overview of the chart, and yet other factors may contradict or modify our findings For instance, this is a very successful individual, yet the career houses are under-emphasized The 6th is empty, while there is a planet sitting on the cusp of the 2nd and one on the cusp between the 10th and 11th (As we will discover later in the course, a planet on the cusp of two houses often blends the energies of those houses.) We will not find the answers to this quandary at this stage of our interpretation, for we don’t have enough information As we get deeper into the chart analysis, we would look for planets in the career-related earth signs—Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn—as well as at the condition of Saturn and of planets in major aspect to the Midheaven Isn’t it interesting what you can learn about a person from such a simple perspective? You have been looking at the chart of beloved figure skating champion, Scott Hamilton The focus of energies in his 11th, 1st, and 5th houses definitely reflect the areas of life that are crucial to him His friendships with other skaters and especially with the groups of skaters that go on tour with him are, indeed, one of the most important and enduring satisfactions in his life (It was only in his forties, first-born male in a long line of sisters may have a special place A disabled or otherwise unusual child may make a difference in the lineup, as may step and half siblings Onlies are a breed of their own, part oldest, part baby Still, you will doubtlessly see facets of yourself and your siblings in these descriptions ARIES SUN, MOON, OR RISING: First Born: Except where planetary aspects interfere, the leadership qualities of your sign are enhanced by the steadying effects and strong motivation to succeed of your birth position Aries thrive on being first, and you were the groundbreaker for your siblings and now for your set or workplace Just don't take your followers' compliance for granted, for a good leader is also a good listener Middle Child: The rebel or maverick side of the middle position would be even stronger in an Aries native, who fumes at criticism or being told what to You are ill suited for mediation, so you are apt to strike out on your own with even more independence than most middle children are Just be sure the groups you so naturally lead don't wind up leading you astray Last Born: Aries thrives on attention indeed, demands it and so does the baby of the family When you don't get your way, temper tantrums are a temptation Don't indulge in such ploys too often, as they won't make people love you any more than they already for your freshness, zest for living, and razor-sharp wit TAURUS SUN, MOON, OR RISING: First Born: Except where planetary aspects interfere, adding the self-discipline and success potential of the first born to the solid business sense and perseverance of a Taurus can result in a steady climb to the top and a healthy bottom line As both first borns and Taureans can be conservative, you are likely to stick to the tried and true path to success Middle Child: You are the least conservative natives of the sign, for you're enough of a free spirit to stray from the tried and true Not for you the family business, for you want to make it on your own and you probably will, but you'll complain that you get no respect or recognition from your loved ones In your quest to belong somewhere, you may have to learn the lesson of not mixing money and friendship more than once Last Born: It's tempting for the Taurean "baby of the family" to equate money and lavish gifts with the unconditional love your birth position craves Conspicuous consumption can also be used as an attention-getter, but don't equate possessions with self-worth You are one of the best-grounded last borns in the zodiac and thus are likely to well for yourself GEMINI SUN, MOON, OR RISING: First Born: More focused and disciplined than the average Geminian, you are likely to excel in scholarly pursuits or communication Siblings being a major concern, you may well take on more responsibility or worry about them more than is healthy If there is a family newsletter or Round Robin, you're doubtlessly the editor Middle Child: It's hard enough for Geminis to sort out their identities separate from relatives without being caught between elder and younger siblings, so figuring out who you are and where you fit into life is a long-term project The middle child propensity for mediation added to that Gemini flair for words could result in professional excellence as a family or marriage counselor, deal negotiator, or mediator of disputes Last Born: The baby of the family is often the class clown, and who can play that role better than verbal, witty Gemini? You show off, but with such charm and flair! Still, in crisis times when you need to relinquish center stage and get serious, these usually appealing traits can prove disappointing to loved ones that want you to shoulder your share of the burden CANCER SUN, MOON, OR RISING: First Born: You were doubtlessly put in the position of being Mommy's little helper the responsible Big Sis or Big Brother and you may still be playing the indulgent parent to all the waifs and strays you meet Though you may well have come far professionally, you haven't forgotten your roots and still can be counted on to nurture your loved ones There's just that distressing tendency to overeat to make up for the energy you expand on taking care of others Middle Child: The middle child tendency to feel betwixt and between, not fitting anywhere, is so difficult for Cancers, to whom roots are everything Though family feuds can prove distressing to your sensitive nature, you can provide a nurturing environment for the disputes to be resolved Where family ties prove too hard to maintain, you are likely to make a second family among friends Last Born: Sorry to say it, but you can be the baby of all babies, looking to find Mommies and Daddies everywhere, and feeling aggrieved and deprived when the t.l.c you were brought up thinking you had to have isn't forthcoming Still, you'll anything to keep the family alive and to make family times a memorable delight LEO SUN, MOON, OR RISING: First Born: Talk about the heir apparent you were born to rule, and, unless other aspects work against you, your birth position makes your ascension virtually a certainty Coming first in the family, you doubtlessly soaked up tons of attention and came to see it as your due Still, your sense of responsibility and keen motivation for accomplishment make you anything but a lazy Leo Middle Child: What a tough thing for a Leo to always share the spotlight with older and younger sibs, not to mention Dad, when you really wanted the starring role Still, as family mediator in that pride of Lions, you carved out a memorable niche You may well seek out community groups where you'd shine due to your capacity to create a small universe around you Last Born: The Leo's Leo, Lucille Ball, has nothing on you you were born to perform and hold court Seriously, you should find some outlet even a local theater group for that charm, that flair for drama, that star quality Otherwise, the perpetual propensity for drama can come out in door-slamming domestic tiffs VIRGO SUN, MOON, OR RISING: First Born: Virgo is known for being reliable, trustworthy, serious, hardworking, perfectionistic, and critical and so are first borns! Thus, unless there is serious interference from a planetary aspect, the first born Virgo is a paragon, the rock for family and employer Unlike the usual striving, success-oriented first born, however, modest self-effacing Virgos are by nature worker bees rather than queen bees, uncomfortable at the helm and likely to be the real but unrecognized center of productivity Middle Child: Rebel? Maverick? Doesn't sound like conservative, careful Virgo at all, does it? Maybe you just every now and then neglect to change your underwear But independent, for sure Perhaps you are a natural for the alternative health fields, where nontraditional but sound approaches and attention to detail are an asset Last Born: We'd hardly know you were the baby of the family at all, as those conscientious and hard working Virgos shun the center stage and feel love has to be earned Could you be the exception to the birth order rule? Or, you unconsciously arrange for the attention your birth position craves by suffering from a variety psychosomatic ailments? LIBRA SUN, MOON, OR RISING: First Born: The first-born seeks to please and thus can be too placating as can Librans, so be sure you aren't taking on too much responsibility and overdoing in an effort to keep everyone happy all the time Too much stress comes from the impossible striving to be perfect looking perfect, always socially correct, considering everyone's needs and point of view You have more leadership ability and drive for success than the average Libra, but are likely to lead in a gracious, diplomatic manner Middle Child: You are sure to seek love outside your family, since it's hard to compete with siblings for the short supply Middle children are born mediators and so are Librans, so you will doubtlessly find yourself in this position often You're gifted at reaching compromises between warring parties, so maybe you should it professionally Just don't become too committed to peace at any price! Last Born: The Libra need for unconditional love can become an obsession for the baby of the family "Love me, Love me, Love me," is your plea to the world, and you can be so delightfully charming, engaging, and winsome, that this demand is almost but not quite fulfilled It's just that people want such tedious and unglamorous things in return for all that love and attention SCORPIO SUN, MOON, OR RISING: First Born: Combine Scorpio's political savvy and understanding of the dynamics of power and wealth with the first born's dogged determination to succeed, and you have an unstoppable combination, unless there are other planets interfering It's up to you whether that power to make things happen is self-serving or dedicated to transforming or reforming parts of our world that need to be healed Middle Child: The alienation many Scorpios feel in a society that lives on the surface can be intensified by this birth position, where you are betwixt and between and seldom first in your family's considerations Still, your keen understanding of underlying motivations and dynamics could make you a natural mediator or healer of family or group conflicts, even as a profession Last Born: Last borns are often manipulative in their quest to get people to take care of them and can be aggrieved if they don't get the attention they feel they are entitled to Scorpios have a genius for "psyching out" other people and knowing what buttons to push to get the results they want The combination of last born and Scorpio could be a bit much, until you learn to appreciate other people's unspoken needs and motivations as only Scorpio can As last born, you can be more easy-going, light hearted, and fun to be around than the intense and murky type of Scorpion SAGITTARIUS SUN, MOON, OR RISING: First Born: Academia may well be your forte, for you are a scholar at heart Even if self-educated, you are a serious thinker, a spiritual seeker More likely than most of your sign to stay focused on a long-term goal, your natural desire for growth and expansion can make you a success Middle Child: Your roots may not hold you, and you may become the traveling type of Sag If you're sports-minded, your commitment and loyalty to your team can make you a valuable player In scholarly pursuits or your quest to answer the great questions of the ages, you are likely to strike out on your own and take the road less traveled Last Born: What enthusiasm, what pizzazz, what joie de vivre no wonder people seek you out! Unless other planets dampen your spark, you're like the Fourth of July every day The Fourth of July has its place but every day? When they expect you to pitch in and clean up after the picnic, you can be long gone CAPRICORN SUN, MOON, OR RISING: First Born: As we noted in the very first line of this article, traits attributed to Capricorn and traits of the first born are virtually identical, so to be both doubles the perfectionism, drive, and success potential You doubtlessly had heavy family responsibilities growing up, and the result is a highly capable, reliable individual born to be a CEO, unless other planetary aspects undermine you Middle Child: With Capricorn's innate desire to rise to the top, you are stuck in a position with older siblings always being ahead of you in learning and younger siblings needing more attention and caretaking You'll probably find your niche in middle management, for you have a sure sense of how to juggle the demands of those above and below you successfully Last Born: Unlike the first born Capricorn, if you read the descriptions of your position, you probably think it's hogwash, for Capricorns never get to be babies anyway They emerge from the womb with lunchbox in hand, headed for prep school If there really are any last-born Capricorns, they were probably born seven years or more after their older siblings, so they're more like only children-that is, like first borns in spades AQUARIUS SUN, MOON, OR RISING: First Born: You're more conservative than most Aquarians based on your experience, you may even be convinced that the old rulership of your sign by Saturn is true Still, even though you probably organize as well as any Capricorn and are prone to success, your point of view is original and inventive, and you're in the foreguard of your line of work Middle Child: One of the first observations I made about birth order was how many middle children are Aquarians Rebel, maverick, and loyal to your homies? Your special destiny and most Aquarians want to believe they have one may well rest in your contributions to groups, and that may have been why you chose a birth position that gave you distance from your family Last Born: Would the word zany describe you, by any chance? At the very least you march to an entirely different drummer than anyone in your family part of what gives you that pied piper charisma Just be sure, when you shock for shock's sake, that you're not shooting yourself in the foot at the same time PISCES SUN, MOON, OR RISING: First Born: Mother Theresa had nothing on you-you probably adopt every stray dog or human that crosses your path and then wonder why you can't keep all the promises you make And guilt? You are NOT single-handedly responsible for the burgeoning national debt or the shrinking rainforests, no matter what you think Work on loving yourself as human and fallible, and you won't be so overwhelmed Middle Child: You feel for those above you, you feel for those below you, you can identify and empathize with all their woes, but who are you and where you belong in the universal scheme of things? Sorting out spiritual and ethical questions like these can keep you busy for the next several lifetimes, but at least you'll probably remember enough about the last few to give you a head start Last Born: They doubtlessly call you fey, whimsical, and charming You're a soulful performer even if you never get on stage, with the heart of a poet or musician, but all too many of you are the type mother warned us against You know, the type portrayed in the song, Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer Ah, well, the rules don't apply to you anyway You're not here to run the local savings and loan Remember the suggestion that you include your rising sign and your Moon sign, if you knew them or that you send for a computer chart if you did not Which did you relate to the most? My money is on Rising sign! That’s because the Rising Sign or Ascendant often tells what role you were assigned in your family Would Relocation Change your life? A Look at Astrology’s Answers ©2005 by Donna Cunningham, MSW A major geographic move is a huge displacement in your life and ranks high on the lists of stressful situations published from time to time It is not something to be entered into lightly, for even the best of moves require an intense adjustment period of at least a year You would want to read about your chosen location in Places Rated Almanac, a reference book that belongs in any astrologer's library In the internet, you also have a number of great tools for researching and getting to know any given area you might be considering However, astrology itself—particularly the branch known as locational astrology—provides helpful tools for making an informed decision about where and when to move Locational astrology techniques can take much of the guesswork out of moving, especially the highly sophisticated tool of Astro*Carto*Graphy or other computerized maps that show the spots on earth where the various natal (or progressed) planets come onto the four chart angles (Midheaven, Ascendant, Descendant or IC) Working with this tool, I am often surprised at how many people are instinctively drawn to spots that are excellent for them—although others with less trustworthy instincts are strongly drawn to spots that represent their own worst nightmares The first consideration in relocation work is how accurate the birth time might be Astro*Carto*Graphy and other locational astrology techniques are not forgiving of birth time errors (A time of 3:20 PM, for instance, looks promising, as it seems less likely to be a rounded-off estimate than 3:30 would be.) One minute of clock time equals about 60 miles east or west at the Midheaven Thus, if the birth time is as little as four minutes off, the relocation angles could be off by 240 miles If it is 15 minutes off, the Astro*Carto*Graphy lines could be off by about 900 miles—a difference of a state or two With a rounded off or vague birth time, some rectification may be required, and though a good rectification can be costly, so can a move that is several hundred miles off target! Transits—The Moving Force Behind a Move Transits are usually the stimulus for a major geographic change Moving to a new home may be part of what happens under a transit to the natal Moon, the 4th house cusp (IC), through the 4th house, or aspecting a natal planet in the 4th Such transits are the primary triggers for changes in residence Relocation goes more smoothly under a trine with the Moon/Uranus trine being the swiftest and the least hassle A move under a Moon/Saturn trine, however, is more organized and more likely to be permanent! Under a Moon/Uranus or Uranus/IC aspect of any kind, you might as well keep nonessentials packed in their boxes, as you're likely to move more than once during the two or three aspects you will generally experience from transiting Uranus Under Moon/Neptune transits, you're probably not thinking things through carefully enough and may regret the decision—DO NOT buy a house until the transit passes You're not so much moving to something as moving away from something because you've become disillusioned Your fantasies about a wonderful new life tend to be unrealistic Generally speaking, when life conditions change dramatically at the time of a move, the change is not just due to the location but also the timing You will probably find a similar message in transits to both the birth and the relocated charts Often, someone who moves during an important transit is drawn to the exact area where that transiting planet is on one of the four angles For instance, many 28-30 year olds who are undergoing their Saturn return seem unerringly drawn to an area where Saturn is on one of the angles They are drawn to a place where the energies of Saturn are maximized Whatever the planet, under transits like these, the new location makes the issues and lessons of that planet even more pressing to resolve—you might say it forces the issue—but that is not generally a good place to stay for any length of time A smooth move is a combination of two things—the right time and the right place You may hit one of them and not the other—for instance, the location may be promising but the timing stinks! Timing is important even when moving to a positive location Don't move when nothing is happening to your Moon, IC, or 4th house planets, or when Neptune or Saturn are aspecting them If you do, you could just sit and spin your wheels for a costly year or two (Cyclo*Carto*Graphy, based on progressions and transits to the natal Astro*Carto*Graphy map, is the best clue to understanding why a location may be promising at one stage of your life and not at another.) “Wherever You Go, You Take Yourself Along” When considering a move based on your map, it is important to refer to the birth chart for interpretation Suppose you are thinking of moving to one of your Venus lines, generally considered the best places in the world to find love, believing it will improve your chances in relationships First, you have to consider what your own natal Venus is like If natal Venus has difficult aspects, then any undesirable long-standing patterns in relationships would be not only active but intensified there For example, if you were born with Pluto on Descendant squaring Venus, and you move off the Pluto line to a place where Venus is on the angle, you are only increasing the strength of that already challenged Venus In fact, now you probably have Pluto square the local angle You'd be better off picking one of the Descendant lines, like Sun or Jupiter on the Descendant, if love were your goal Another example might be relocating to improve career potentials You might expect that Jupiter or the Sun on the Midheaven would be an excellent choice Suppose, however, that natally Neptune closely squares Jupiter If you moved to your Jupiter/Midheaven line, you would at the same time be moving to a spot where Neptune squared the local Midheaven— an aspect that is easy to miss, and harder to diagnose a possible undertow of self-sabotage Difficult conjunctions or oppositions in the natal chart can present a special blockage in relocation, for wherever one of the pair is on an angle, the other one is as well Thus highlighting that pair of planets by placing them on the MC or IC would not be a good career move Difficult aspects and placements in the birth chart represent ways that we create our own difficulties, so analyzing the behaviors represented by those astrological factors is essential to a successful relocation What you need to consider is that your selfdefeating attitudes and behaviors go right along with you when you move, so if the problems you are having in the old location are mostly of your own making, they will be with you in the new one as well You may get a temporary break from them, given new people and unfamiliar circumstances where you are on your best behavior—a kind of honeymoon period However, unless you have well and truly learned whatever lesson is involved and healed whatever wounds or patterns you kept tripping on in the old place, the old patterns will eventually creep back in the new one Thus, if you entertain the thought of a move, you need also to examine your contributions to recurrent problems honestly Take responsibility for shaping a new reality for yourself in the new location through new attitudes, behaviors, and relationship strategies However, suppose that you have been working on yourself and have truly changed, and yet the people and situations in the old place have become so rigidified that they cannot allow you to be different and to grow In situations like these, then a major change in location can give you the space to create a new reality This is particularly true of long-standing roles that family or others around you have assigned you (Family Mess-Up, for instance, or Savoir of Us All), roles that you are no longer willing to fulfill A whole new set of people will not have the same expectations, so you have room to grow Consider Your Motive in Moving Sometimes we relocate for the wrong reasons, and when we do, we are likely to make costly errors in judgement An ill-considered move can be a major roadblock in our lives While the transiting planet involved shows the circumstances of the move, the real question is why are you doing it? It is generally due to an important shift in the lunar areas of life Often, the reason is that the womb has gotten too confining As a young adult, you leave your parents' house to go on your own Later, maybe you move to make a home with someone or a home without someone Sometimes, because any aspect to the IC is simultaneously an aspect to the MC, either you or your partner may find a job in a new place Maybe you have a family now and the house has gotten too small Or, your family has grown up, and you don't need so much space The Moon waxes and wanes, all within a life cycle The pressure to leave the womb precedes the relocation There is a lunar realignment before the move, followed by a long adjustment to the new home It has been especially interesting to me to observe what happens when people are struck by nostalgia and think along the line of a pilgrimage to their roots—maybe even moving back home with the folks for a time This type of pilgrimage generally comes about with a major transit to the Moon, the IC/MC axis, or a 4th house planet by Saturn, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto (When more than one of those points is impacted by transits, it is even more of a rite of passage.) Thomas Wolfe said that you can’t go home again That ringing phrase has become part of conventional wisdom, the sort of truism that people love to utter Like most bits of conventional wisdom, it is wrong as often as it is right In observing people over these past 35 years—clients, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances—I’ve repeatedly been struck by how profoundly they are affected by returning home after a long absence Often it is a deep healing of old wounds Especially when the Inner Child is still stuck in seeing the parents as All Powerful, spending time with elderly parents can provide a reality check They become just people, maybe mellower or frailer and thus finally seen as life sized rather than the giants our unconscious makes them Often, based on exposure to the people your parents have become, you can begin to forgive them for what they did to you 30 or 40 years ago, and that forgiveness can be a great healing Even if you cannot forgive, the experience of confronting them and seeing their humanness can be empowering Yes, You CAN go home again—but you’ll never be the same! Often, major moves will entail purchasing a house, so I also look into the effect of transits on that particular decision Buying a home, especially the first one, is a rite of passage into adulthood Having a home of your own gives you a greater sense of security, roots, and belonging for lunar types, especially Moon/Saturn and Moon/Pluto aspects are the most likely to involve actual purchases of real estate, although Pluto as often accompanies major remodeling efforts With Moon/Saturn or Saturn to the MH/IC, a home of your own may be the result of well-earned success You may be conservative in your purchase You may settle for something smaller or less luxurious than you'd like, because you are being realistic about not taking on too hard of a financial commitment With some Moon/Pluto contacts, the new house may be financed by something other than your own efforts The source could be an inheritance, a gift or bribe from your parents with strings attached, a trust fund, or a divorce settlement or, it may be a last-ditch effort to keep the marriage together If you've suffered losses during this phase, take time to mourn the end of one chapter in your life The grief may be intensified by a period of isolation in the new location If you buy property under a Neptune transit to the Moon or other points listed above, you probably haven't inspected the cellar or foundations The realtor saw you coming, and you may have a lemon on your hands for a good, long time What to about it? Ah, well, it would be reprehensible of me to suggest you find a buyer who is also under a Moon/Neptune aspect, wouldn't it? Maybe you could donate it to the church, your guru, or some charitable organization Or, hang in there for whatever deep spiritual lessons it may teach you like the one about not signing anything you haven't read and understood What Relocation Charts Can and Cannot Do For You You would want an Astro*Carto*Graphy or other computerized map if you are moving more than 500 miles east or west of your birthplace Especially if you have no idea where you want to live, this tool can help you find optimal locations for business, love, home life, health, and travel It can also help you avoid really serious relocation mistakes, like moving to a place where Saturn, Neptune, or Pluto fall on an angle While you may want to order such a map, relocation is not a do-ityourself project Getting an Astro*Carto*Graphy printout can help you narrow down choices, but for all the complexities of the map you really need the advice of a trained Astro*Carto*Graphy professional, one who will take into account the natal chart features it reflects While such services may entail a fee of $100-$250, moving itself is extremely costly in life force energy, finances, and other resources6 For a list of professional astrologers who are certified in this technique, visit the website of Continuum, the organization dedicated to preserving the work of the late Jim Lewis and to furthering knowledge of locational astrology (http://www.continuumacg.net) On that site, there is also a library of articles on this topic Know that a geographic change cannot offset an important transit to the natal chart, though it might mitigate it somewhat or strengthen a supportive astrological aspect Under a major outer planet transit to a natal placement, people often spontaneously gravitate to a place that puts that natal planet (or the transiting planet) on an angle, to intensify it for purposes best known to their higher self It would be important to have a relocated chart calculated, showing the new Midheaven, Ascendant, Descendant, and IC and any aspects natal planets form to them (I not experience the relocated house positions as overriding the natal interpretation.) You need to scrutinize the resulting chart carefully to make sure you’re not fooling yourself, for you may move to a place where the locational angles are aspected by difficult planets Suppose your motive is to get away from a difficult outer planet line at your birthplace Did you really get away from that outer planet, or is it now aspecting a different angle? Suppose you have Pluto natally conjunct Midheaven, only to find out that now you’re living in a place where it squares the local Ascendant (There are times when, like that old song from the Seventies said, that you can’t read your horoscope, cheat your fate.) You would want to watch the transits to the angles of the relocated chart, also, as these transits have a strong, though not permanent effect Suppose you move to a place where you have Aquarius on the Midheaven, and Neptune will be crossing back and forth over that Midheaven for two or three years You are likely to have a devil of a time establishing yourself career wise That transit to the local Midheaven would be particularly important if you already sensitized to Neptune by natal impact on career houses In going to a place where Neptune is emphasized, you may fool yourself that that what is coming is spiritual, creative, and therefore wonderful, but it may still mean several years of floating in space Relocation astrology becomes more complex the more people there are in a household Often a desired location is excellent for one partner but the pits for the other Or, it suits both parents fairly well but is a disaster for one or more of the kids Especially when business is calling a family to that spot, situations like these become a very hard life decision You can find out interesting things about the dynamics of a family, however, by comparing their relocation prospects I have sometimes done relocation work for couples in which many regions of United States were promising career-wise for the wife, but none for the husband Relocating abroad to satisfy the needs of both partners is not always feasible In cases like these, explaining the situation in astrological terms has made it less frustrating for the couple to understand and deal with a role reversal in which the wife is likely to be more successful than the husband Astrology is a superb tool for gaining detachment and letting go of needlessly blaming oneself or another for things that just ARE Getting Out of Dodge: Can Relocation Help the Outer Planet Person? Outer Planet People (OPPS) are those with more than one of the outer planets emphasized in their birth charts, especially those with the outer planets on one or more chart angles7 If you have an outer planet on the angles natally, locations far east or west of your birthplace can change your life and career in very important ways With Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto on the Midheaven, for instance your relationships with parents and other authority figures have doubtlessly presented an ongoing challenge in terms of having the freedom to pursue a fulfilling life work (As mentioned earlier, this technique is not forgiving of birth time errors, and when dealing with such powerful planetary forces, you need to be exact However, those with outer planets on the Ascendant natally have often had dramatic birth circumstances and other dramatic events that make it easy to check whether the birth time is in the ballpark ) I hear from many OPPs who have struggled a lifetime with the complications that an outer planet on an angle can entail Having one on the Ascendant, for instance, can color their social connections with everyone they meet Since mainstream individuals often have little clue about what to with their own outer planets, they tend to be very reactive and rejecting when encountering a person who wears one of these planets as an outer garment Consistently being treated this way can be alienating in the extreme Moving half a continent away can mean getting out from under familial parental pressures and the projections of everyone around you so that you can start over fresh But as we’ve discussed already, leaving home won’t change all your problems so you can’t avoid the work you need to on your use of the outer planets, or the same patterns will catch up with you Suppose you don’t have an outer planet on an angle natally, but the outer planets are strong in your chart in other ways If the outer planets represent our genius—those ways we help ourselves and the collective move beyond everyday reality—then could it not be argued that the OPP needs to move to where those planets are on the line? Should you not, in fact, put that planet on the locational Midheaven if you want your contribution to be recognized by the world? Still, you have to ask yourself if you are not biting off far more than you can chew, maybe even asking for a broken tooth or two If Pluto, for instance, is strong in your birth chart, it will always be a strong part of you, but you want to make it even more dominant by living in a place where you can NEVER get away from its pressures? Since Plutonian types are prone to becoming the targets of other people’s projections, would you want to live in a spot where others are continually projecting their disowned Pluto qualities onto you? Is that even safe? How does a planet become prominent? The Sun, Moon, Ascendant, or Midheaven could be conjunct, square, trine, or opposite that planet Or, the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, or several planets could be in that planet’s sign A planet would be strong if it is in a major configuration like a Tsquare, grand trine, or grand cross It gains strength if it is one of the most aspected planets Before making such a choice, assess how purely and how consistently constructively you are using the energies of the outer planet in question Be honest with yourself, for when you intensify a planet’s energies by moving to line on the map where it is angular, keeping it all in balance may become far more difficult It becomes harder not to crash and burn, dramatically You will doubtlessly also find yourself surrounded by others of the same type—a mixed blessing, since it can be wonderful to find like-minded souls However, you’d also have to monitor your associates’ expressions of those energies carefully, as they can pull you toward the negative expressions As long as you are going to the considerable effort and expense of moving, you might instead wish to emphasize a more solidly grounded part of your chart The Outer Planet Person—City Mouse or Country Mouse? Certainly there are individual differences, but it is my observation that the various outer planet types thrive in certain types of locales and are miserable in others, depending on the nature of the highlighted planet Except for Neptunians, who are extremely sensitive to their environment, OPP often thrive in larger cities, where they less apt to fall under the scrutiny of small-minded others and more likely to meet like-minded folks Uranians love the glitter and excitement of big city life, where they can stay abreast of all the newest trends, like seeing the newest film releases immediately They love the intellectual stimulation and the concentration of bright, innovative, and often quirky thinkers They finally have a chance to have a group around them who thinks like they Here, they find true peers to validate their counter-culture ways, so that they can be who they are without shame or social pressure to conform (They may handle small town life better now with Internet access to the myriad of groups and email lists that flourish on the net.) The less evolved Uranian loves excitement for its own sake Plutonians, too, may be happier in large cities, where they can have the privacy and anonymity they crave They are often singled out or ostracized in small towns for their differences and even for their power, since nothing remains a secret in such places All is judged and remembered The less evolved Plutonian likes cities for the sleaze, especially the license to engage in sexuality compulsively and anonymously, without continually tripping over their discarded conquests on the Town Square Neptunians may not so well in large cities, especially those who have become psychically and environmentally sensitive (as often happens under Neptune transits to the 6th, 1st, or 12th houses) Psychic sponges, they can become hyper-reactive to noise, neighbors, crowds, environmental toxins, and other disturbances in the force As they become increasingly sensitive, they may not be able to handle cities any more and may need to go to a remote place where meditation and other spiritual practices are made easier They thrive on quiet spaces to immerse themselves in creative pursuits, and they often thrive on being near water Moving Stress? Be Good to Yourself? As you can see, relocating isn't just a matter of packing boxes and calling a mover For instance, you may find that while packing, you take an intense trip down memory lane Each object you touch has memories and feelings attached, which you may relive The process of deciding what to keep and what to get rid of involves reevaluating your priorities and values The home is related to the Moon and to the sign Cancer, and a move is an immense readjustment in many lunar areas of life, for what is more basic than the home? A crab goes through a period of vulnerability when it sheds its shell We, too, may feel especially vulnerable for at least a year after a move a complete cycle of lunations There can even be strong somatic reactions, particularly to the stomach or menstrual cycle In particular, lunar types—those with the sign Cancer, the Moon, or the 4th house prominent in their charts—can find relocation distressing A move is nothing to take lightly—it is a major displacement requiring maybe a year or longer to recoup those forces and adapt to the new location Give yourself plenty of space to feel the losses and insecurities and to lay down roots in the new home Note: Want to learn more about relocation or find a certified practitioner? Visit the web site of Continuum, the organization dedicated to preserving and expanding the work of Jim Lewis, who developed Astro*Carto*Graphy On that site you will find a list of certified practitioners, a suite of articles on the topic, and an up-to-date bibliography (The books, alas, go out of print quickly.) Visit: http://www.continuumacg.net ... are in the 9th house; in the 8:00 p.m chart, they are in the 3rd Yes, having the trio in the 3rd house (communication and thinking) of the 8:00 p.m chart could fit Hillary’s penetrating mind... becomes a challenge For determining the elemental balance, I use a 16-point system, This article originally appeared in The Mountain Astrologer, 8-9 /03, pp 4 5-6 , and is reprinted with their permission... readings in this book originally appeared in my series for the intermediate student in The Mountain Astrologer, and some are from Dell Horoscope Sources for individual articles will be given in